Interconvertible easel or other article of furniture.



Patented Sept. l8. I900. .1. H. MILLIKEN.

INTERCONVERTIBLE EAS EL OR OTHER ARTICLE OF FURNITURE.

(No Model.)

(Application filed June 8, 1899. Renewed July 21, 1900.)

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No. 658,222. Patented Sept. I8, 1900. J. H. MILLIKEN.

INTERCONVERTIBLE EASEL 0R OTHER ARTICLE OF FURNITURE.

(Application filed Juno 3, 1899. Renewed July 21, 1900.)

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70567665595: Iizoerafow "Patented Sept. l8, I900. J. H. MILLIKEN. INTERCONVERTIBLE EASEL GR OTHER ARTICLE OF FURNITURE.

(No Model.)

(Applicfltil; filed Juno 3, 1899. Renewed July 21, 1900.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT f OFFICE.

JOHN H. MILLIKEN, on MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FREDERIC L. MILLIKEN, OF MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

INTERCONVERTIBLE EASEL OR Oj'l'HER ARTICLE OF, FURNITURE SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 658,272, dated September 18, 1900. A li ti fil d June 3, 1899. Renewed duly zl, 1900. Serial No. 24,414. (No model.)

To 00% whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, JOHN H. MILLIKEN, of Malden, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Interconvertible Easels or otherArticles of Furniture, of which the following is a description suficiently full, clear, and exact to enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains or with which it is most nearly connected to make anduse the same.

This invention has relation to interconvertible articles of furniture-that is, to household furnishings which are capable of trans formation so as to subserve more than one purpose.

It is the purpose of the present invention to provide an article of furniture which shall serve the dual purpose of an easel and a sideboard,desk,or other analogous article, besides being rendered capable of afiording pleasurable pastime, and also to afford means for keeping a desk or other cabinet normally closed and locked and capable of being opened only, from a distant point.

To these ends the invention consists of an easel and framed picture and a sideboard, desk, or other cabinet constructed so as to be rendered interconvertible-that is, transformed from one to the other. The act of transformation may be made through electrically or mechanically operated means and may be or not accompanied by a sudden and unexpected display of a sign or the like for the purpose of contributing to the pleasure or amusement of a party unacquainted with the purpose, construction, and mode of operation of the device. j

In its broadest sense, however, the inven tion comprises an article of furniture, such as a sideboard, desk, or other cabinet having a lid constructed to close and hide the con-- tents of the cabinet, which lid may be plain or consist of a picture mounted on asuitable support in a frame and in its normal position be closed and locked, but be rendered capable of being opened through the medium of electrically or mechanically operated means or automatically to change the device from, say, what appeared to be an easel or picture-support or closed desk into an open sideboard, open writing-desk, or cognate thing.

Reference is to be had to the annexed draw. ings, and to the letters marked thereon, forming a part of this specification, the same letters designating the same parts or features, as the case may be, wherever they occur.

Of the drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of my invention constructed as a sideboard on a frame designed as an easel supporting a framed picture. Fig. 2 is a central sectional end or side view of the same. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the invention, showing the lid or door in open position. Fig. 4. is a sectional detail view showing how two electric circuits which may be employed in connection with the invention may be successively closed.

In the drawings, a designates the frame of the device, which is made in the form of an easel having thereon a frame I), simulating a molded picture-frame, inclosing a picture 0. The picture is mounted upon a board d, pivoted or hinged at c to the sides of the frame, so that it may be closed, as shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 2, or swung down to substantially-horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 3 and in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

The board d, as indicated, is made to serve as a door or cover to a sideboard f, or it may as well be a receptacle for writing material or other things arranged back of the door.

The door (1 is provided at its upper edge 7 with a catch g, which is adapted to engage one arm of a triangular pivoted latch h on the frame, the other arm being adapted to catch upon the angular projection on the lower end of a pendent latch i, the latter being arranged in proximity to an armaturej, contained within an electric circuit 70, proceeding from a battery Z. A spring m is connected at one end to the lower edge of the door and at the other end to the frame and operates with a tendency to draw the lower edge of the door inward and consequently throw the upper edge outward.

. Under the circumstances and construction mentioned it will be seen that when the electric circuit is isclosed the armature-magnet j willbe energized, attracting the latch i to it and allowing the catch 9 to be released from the latch h and the door to be opened to horizontal position. A Weight n, attached to a cord 0, connected with the lid, tends to a battery Z.

counterbalance the door and to operate as a stop to prevent the door from moving below horizontal position.

In the frame at, below the piclurelnolding b, there is an opening 19, in which is arranged a glass or other transparent plate q, upon which there may be painted or otherwise placed letters composing a name or sentence of any desired character. This plate q is covered with a gauze screen 1' or other material that will hide the plate and letters from view except when they are lighted up, as it is designed they shall be, by lamps s behind the plate and having connection with the It will now be seen that when the door dis closed, as indicated in Fig. 1, the device will have all the appearance of an easel with a framed picture thereon. When, however, it is desired by the user or proprietor of the device to bring it to the attention of a guest or to open the frame, he may first press an electric button or other device, so as to close the circuit, lighting up-the lamps s and disclosing the sign on the plate q through the screen r, which sign may be an invitation to a guest to partake of the hosts hos pitality. Then by closing another circuit the armature j will be energized and the latches operated, so as to allow the door d to swing open, as before described, disclosing the sideboard and desk behind it. in the drawings, it is designed through the instrumentalities t to close the circuit 75 and light up the sign g and open the door (1 by the same operation and at the'same time. However, the order in which these operations'shall be performed is immaterial, since it is obvious that they may be subject to very considerable change without departing from the field of common mechanical ingenuity and without varying the nature or scope of the invention.

As before stated, instead of making the device behind the door al to consist of a sideboard it may be equipped with writing materials-such as paper, envelops, pens, and ink-and the means for closing the circuit may be connected with the office of a hotel,- so that when a guest desires writing material, &c., he may by speaking to the attendant in the hotel-office have the circuit closed and a desk opened for him at which to sit down, and when he shall have finished he may close the lid (1. In this manner adesk in a public or semipublic place may be kept closed against use by unauthorized persons and be opened only by authority, orin case of a sideboard the means for closing the circuit may be under lock and key or otherwise contrived, so that they cannot be operated except by authority.

Instead of operating the latch and catch by electricity they may, it is obvious, be controlled through mechanical means with the same result.

It will be seen that the invention is peculiarly adapted for use as a sideboard in a private billiard-room or other apartment of a As shown dwelling or as a desk in a hotel or elsewhere or as a cabinet for any particular purpose in any desired place.

The picture 0 may be of high class or kind,

since it need not be subjected to harm in the use of the device, and instead of a picture on the board d an advertisement may be used in its place. In fact, it is clear that the entire contrivance maybe used for advertising purposes by operating the door or lid dautomatically both to close and open it through electrical or mechanical agency.

I have contemplated the use of a clock mechanism contrived to close an electric circuit at certain times and operate the device, and, furthermore, I propose in some cases to employ a thermostat for closing the circuit through changes in temperature. These and other obvious applications of means for effecting the operation of the device fall within the scope of my invention, the essential thing being the operation of the catch and latch of the lid from a distant point through an efficient medium to release the lid or door, so that the cabinet, be it a sideboard or desk or other similar device, may be opened.

In Fig. 4 I have shown how the circuit may be closed to first light the lamps s by the spring circuit-closer 'u. on the push-button 1;, first connecting the contact-points w in the circuit In and then by pushing the button in to a greater distance connect the contactpoints y, closing the circuit 7.0" to actuate the lock mechanism and open the cabinet. These are merely pictures, as it were, of ideas and instru mentalities sufficient, it is thought, to enable one skilled in the art to practice the invention.

Having thus explained the nature of the invention and described a way of constructing and using the same, though without attempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made or all of the modes of its use, it is declared that what is claimed is- 1. An interconvertible article of furniture consisting of a frame, a sideboard or cabinet supported thereon, a pivoted or hinged door or lid adapted to receive or hold a picture for closing the cabinet, and a latch and catch adapted to be operated automatically in combination with means to open the door after its release and counterbalanciu g means and a stop for the door, substantially as described.

2. An interconvertible article of furniture consisting of a frame, a sideboard or cabinet supported thereon, a picture-frame connected with the frame, a door adapted to receive a picture thereon pivoted at its sides to the frame, for closing the cabinet, and an electrically-operated catch and latch for releasing the door to allow it to open, in combination with means, as described, for opening the door after its latch is released.

3. An interconverlible article of furniture consisting of a frame, a sideboard or cabinet supported thereon, a pivoted or hinged door or lid adapted to receive or hold a picture, for

closing the cabinet, and a latch and catch adapted to be operated automatically to release the door to allow it to open, combined with means for opening the door after its release and a screened sign q below the door and lamps in an electric circuit for illuminating the sign at predetermined intervals.

4. An inter-convertible article of furniture consisting of a frame, a cabinet supported thereon, a pivoted or hinged door or lid 01 for closing the cabinet,a latch and catch for keeping the cabinet normally closed, and means at a distant point operatively connected with JOHN H. M'ILLIKEN.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR W. ORossLEY, ANNIE J. DAILEY. 

